EDGERTON — Evansville knew what it was facing when it faced Edgerton on Tuesday night for a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal volleyball match.
The first battle between the two teams was in Evansville, where the Blue Devils captured a 3-1 victory Sept. 7. The second was in Edgerton on Sept. 26. The Crimson Tide swept Evansville 3-0 that night.
With a newfound spirit, No. 11 seed Evansville found a way to sweep No. 6 Edgerton on Tuesday to secure a regional win.
“We dug deep and we asked ourselves, ‘Who are we?’ after that game,†Evansville coach Scott Anderson said. “We didn’t play badly, but we didn’t play with spirit. Tonight we committed to playing with spirit. We came out with a couple new wrinkles on our offense that were ready to go. We committed that we were going to swing and not freeze. I asked seniors if this is our last game and they answered no.â€
The Blue Devils bounced to a 22-14 lead in the first set. Despite its early hole, Edgerton battled back with kills from Sydney Watson, Annaliesse Schmall and Lexi Stengel to tie the set at 24-24.
Instead of caving after losing an early lead, Evansville showed composure and scored two straight points on a long Edgerton serve, and a kill from Ava Brandenburg gave the Blue Devils a 26-24 first-set victory.
“It was very important,†Evansville’s Rachael Klitzman said of the first-set win. “The first few times we played them, we lost the first set. So it was pretty huge for us to win the first set tonight and then we just kept going.â€
In the second set, Evansville again bounced to an early lead, this time at 22-9.
Again, Edgerton went on a run featuring two kills from Nickie Shaw, three aces from Sydney Sund and a block from Jillian Scharlau to set the score at 22-16.
The Blue Devils showed more composure at the end of the set despite a seven-point run from the Crimson Tide. An ace from Anna Burkhalter plus two misplayed balls from Edgerton handed the Blue Devils a 25-17 win in the second set.
With their backs against the wall, the Crimson Tide battled back in the third set. Shaw and Klitzman traded kills to tie the game at 3-3. Evansville eventually gained a 9-5 advantage with a block and three more kills from Klitzman.
“I feel great,†Klitzman said about her performance early in the third set. “I couldn’t have done it without my passers and my setters. We did really good as a team.â€
It was a violation from the Crimson Tide that eventually handed the Blue Devils a 25-21 win to advance, but it was their defense that carried them throughout the night.
At the net, Brynn Westby collected four dominant blocks for points. Against a tall Crimson Tide lineup, the Blue Devils weren’t fazed by their shots being blocked and quickly rebounded several times to keep rallies alive. Lindsay Arndt got in on the action too, leading Evansville with 17 digs.
“The moment wasn’t too big,†Anderson said. “We knew we would get blocked, and you don’t win games 25-0. Edgerton’s a great team and a conference champ. They are very good, but we thought all year long that we had left some stuff on the table.â€
The Blue Devils got a boost on the offensive end not only for Tuesday but for the rest of their postseason run with a healthy setter in Addy Acker. Acker collected 30 assists in the win.
“My setter Addy Acker was amazing tonight,†Anderson said. “She’s had some foot problems, but I think they’re 100% healed, and you could surely see it tonight. She really was able to get all the balls put up where they should be, and that makes a huge difference.â€
After defeating their rival, the Blue Devils will head to No. 3 Mount Horeb for their next game on Thursday.
“I’m really excited,†Anderson said. “I was joking around with the coaches just now that we’ve got to go home and do some work now. The players will get ready for Thursday and we just go forward from there.â€
EVANSVILLE 3, EDGERTON 0
Evansville 26 25 25
Edgerton 24 17 21
Stat leaders — Kills: Nickie Shaw (Ed) 14, Ava Brandenburg (Ev) 12, Rachael Klitzman (Ev) 11, Annaliese Schmall (Ed) 6. Assists: Addy Acker (Ev) 30, Eastlyn Langham (Ed) 11, Jillian Scharlau (Ed) 11. Aces: McKenna Anderson (Ed) 3, Sydney Sund (Ed) 3, Klitzman (Ev) 2. Digs: Lindsay Arndt (Ev) 17, Shaw (Ed) 17, McKenzie Bowen (Ed) 17. Blocks: Sydney Watson (Ed) 5, Brynn Westby (Ev) 4.
